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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28827474">Apoptosize</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/LilliaLuna/pseuds/LilliaLuna'>LilliaLuna</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>AI: The Somnium Files (Video Game), Zanki Zero: Last Beginning (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>AU of Zanki Zero but Canon Compliant for AI, Canon-Typical Violence, Gen, I have a huge outline but it'll take forever so for now take this teaser, No Zanki Zero knowledge required (sorry Zanki Zero fandom), Post-Resolution Route (AI), Survival, but it is helpful, full spoilers for AI you have been warned, if you know ZZ you'll understand why it's an AU ;), oh Sho and Mirai are there too, one shot for now, shameless references to other VNs, some Date/Hitomi but not really worth tagging</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 12:39:38</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>15,428</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28827474</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/LilliaLuna/pseuds/LilliaLuna</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>No matter how far you run, your sins will always catch up to you.</p>
<p>Always.</p>
<p>A year and a half after the New Cyclops Serial Killings, eight of the people involved awaken in a strange place, and are given an even stranger mission. Confronted with impossible truths, they have no choice but to press on - yet the more they learn, the deeper the impossibilities grow.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Apoptosize</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is an idea that's been rolling around in my brain for almost a year now, and I am *beyond* excited to finally be able to share it! However, the outline I have for this is absolutely massive, and since I want to finish up my other fic before fully diving into this one, it will be several months at least before I'll be able to start posting more chapters. So for now, I'm leaving the prologue here as a one shot.</p>
<p>No knowledge of Zanki Zero is required to understand this fic, but if you have played it, you may catch a few things others wouldn't. </p>
<p>Enjoy, and feel free to leave feedback!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Seeing a man carrying a saw didn’t seem exceptionally strange, especially when they saw him duck into a garage. In fact, she usually would have ignored it. But this time something felt off. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She wasn’t sure what. He hadn’t been walking strangely or acting erratic or doing anything necessarily suspicious. He was just carrying a saw, almost certainly in his own home. There was nothing wrong with that. But she just couldn’t get the idea that </span>
  <em>
    <span>something</span>
  </em>
  <span> wasn’t right out of her head.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Well, better safe than sorry, right? If it was nothing to worry about, it would only take a moment to clear everything up. If he really was suspicious, it was her job as an officer to stop him. With a sigh she turned back in the direction she’d come from and began to walk towards that garage. She forced herself to relax. It wouldn’t do to lend too much credence to unfounded doubts.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She had almost arrived when a scream rang out from the direction of the garage. She broke into a sprint, and everything came into view.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The man was poised over a terrified young girl, holding a knife over his head as a mad look of twisted glee stretched across his face. Six other children stood frozen in fear around them, unable to look away from the awful scene. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Her hands scrambled for their gun before they fully realized what was happening.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There was no time. No time for anything. No time at all. She tried to aim, but her hands were shaking.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Stay calm. Stay calm.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But it was too late. The man lurched forwards, and in a single movement, the knife plunged into the girl’s stomach. Her shriek split the air, and when she heard it, everything went white.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Her finger moved on instinct. The girl’s mangled cry was drowned out by a deafening crack.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The man had already pulled the knife halfway out, preparing for a second strike, when the horrifying grin on his face turned to shock.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>In that brief moment, he froze. She didn’t have time to think. Her gun leapt again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Time seemed to stop.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And then the man fell.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Right on top of the girl.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The gun clattered to the ground, and she sprinted to her, roughly hauling the man off her. Something like metal clattered beneath his body. The girl let out a pained whimper.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She was faintly aware of the six other children starting to panic, realizing what they had just seen, but the blood roaring in her ears covered everything else. All she could hear was her own voice, shouting frantically into her communicator for help.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The girl cried out again, her face contorted in agony.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Beside her, her attacker lay on top of a double-edged saw, unmoving. The blood spilling out of him dyed the serrated blade a sickening crimson.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>* * *</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Fifteen Years Later</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So.” Mizuki shot him a glance. “Guess who I talked to today.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Iris,” he said, not even putting his book down.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, yeah, duh. I mean someone who I don’t usually talk to.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He sighed and looked over at her. “I don’t know. Ota?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Nope. But he’s there pretty often too. It wouldn’t be weird seeing him there.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hitomi.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Nope.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Boss?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Nope.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That girl with- that receptionist.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>[</span>
  <em>
    <span>Nice save</span>
  </em>
  <span>], Aiba muttered sarcastically.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That wouldn’t have been weird at all! She works there!” Mizuki shook her head. “Come on, Date. It’s not </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> hard. I’ll give you a hint: they’re a big fan of Iris’s.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Umm… Mayumi?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Date let out a breath. “I don’t know. Who was it?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She rolled her eyes. “Moma.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Moma?” He narrowed his gaze. “Moma Kumakura?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She raised an eyebrow. “Do you know any other Momas?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No. But what was </span>
  <em>
    <span>he </span>
  </em>
  <span>doing there?” He frowned.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He came to say hi to Iris. Anyways, he told me something very interesting.” She smirked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh yeah? And what was that?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mizuki grinned as she spoke. “He said you psynced with him.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He sighed. “Yeah, I did. About a month ago. Obviously he didn’t do anything wrong. It was just because of his position. We didn’t end up getting any clues from him.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Why didn’t you tell me?” She giggled. “I bet his dream was really funny.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Not really. And what we do is confidential. The rules say I can’t tell you.” He shrugged.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And when has ABIS ever followed the rules?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She had him there. He was silent.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“[Not nearly as often as a police organization should],” Aiba responded for him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mizuki laughed. “See? Aiba gets it. So…?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Why do you want to know so bad?” He scoffed. “You’ve been hanging out with Iris too much.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I just think it’d be funny! Plus, Boss and Pewter both said I’d make a good psyncer. Boss even offered to give me a free job there when I get older! There’s nothing wrong with a future psyncer knowing the details of a psync, right? It might help me in some way.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He sighed. “Geez, you’re not even in high school yet. That’s a long way off. Don’t you have math or something to do?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, but that’s easy!” She pouted.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He rolled his eyes. “Fine. Tell you what. When you finish that, I’ll tell you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She grinned and picked up her pencil. “You’d better keep your promise.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I will, I will!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hehe.” She winked. “Good.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She began to scribble down something on the paper, hopefully her work for one of the problems, and he turned back to his book. Unfortunately, he had no idea where he’d left off. He sighed and started over from the top of the page.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Except for the sound of Mizuki’s pencil, it was quiet. A comforting sort of silence.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>* * *</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Date. Hey, Date, get up.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When he blinked his eyes open, Mizuki was standing over him. Everything seemed so bright. Had he fallen asleep?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, good, you’re okay.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He sat up with a groan, and Mizuki stepped back, making everything seem even brighter. It hadn’t just been his grogginess. The sun shone high above him, unobstructed in a clear blue sky. Huh. Hadn’t they been inside? He reached up to rub the sleep out of his eyes and felt something grainy clinging to his hands.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was sand.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The back of his head itched, and he found that there was sand stuck to his hair, too. He moved his arms, and some fell off his suit. He had been lying in it. The sand was all around him, stretching out to his sides, melting into a gently lapping sea in front of him. Only then did he realize just how warm it was.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Mizuki…” He scraped some of the sand out of his hair and looked up at her. “What… Where are we?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She shrugged. “I have no idea. But everyone else is here too, so at least we’re all together. We’ll figure it out.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He squinted against the sunlight. “Everyone… else?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah.” She nodded. “Just come with me, I’ll show you. They’re all waiting in this garage looking thing.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He rose shakily to his feet, and Mizuki pointed behind him. To his surprise there were buildings there, some tall, some short, but all of them half decayed, like something he might have seen in the Kabasaki district. It wasn’t Kabasaki, though - those buildings looked different, and they certainly weren’t right next to the beach. He couldn’t help but stare until Mizuki pulled him out of his thoughts.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Come on, let’s go.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He shook away the clinging thoughts and followed her. There were so many questions he wanted to ask - where were they, what were they doing there, how did they get there, what time was it, what </span>
  <em>
    <span>day</span>
  </em>
  <span> was it - but she might not know the answers even if he asked. He bit back his words, trying to tell himself that they could wait. They approached a building that seemed far less dilapidated than the rest, with a door that indeed seemed very reminiscent of a garage, and Mizuki led him towards it. “I found Date!” She called out triumphantly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Nice work, Mizuki!” Iris called back, presumably from somewhere inside.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>…</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>...</span>
  <em>
    <span>Iris</span>
  </em>
  <span>?</span>
  <em>
    <span>!</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He broke away from Mizuki and hurried inside. When he saw, he couldn’t help but stare, more from confusion than anything else.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It really </span>
  <em>
    <span>was</span>
  </em>
  <span> Iris, with the same cheerful grin as always. And not just her. Around her, some standing, some sitting in chairs or leaning on random old equipment, were Hitomi, Boss, Ota, Pewter, and Moma.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, Uncle!” Iris waved at him, and the others gave him a small smile. “I had a feeling you’d be here too.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Boss smirked. “Took you long enough,” she said, in her usual teasing tone.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He blinked. All he could think to say in response was, “Uh.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mizuki, who had caught back up with him, snickered. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He swallowed and tried to gather his racing thoughts. “What are you guys doing here?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ota let out a breath. “Believe me, I wish I knew.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We all woke up here with no idea why,” said Pewter. “We were all just going about our daily lives, and then we were here. None of us have ever seen this place before.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I haven’t either.” Date frowned. “Do you have any idea what it is?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Moma raised an eyebrow. “Do </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span>?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, but there were all those buildings out there. Did they not tell you </span>
  <em>
    <span>anything</span>
  </em>
  <span>?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Nothing.” Hitomi shook her head. “We didn’t find anything. No town name, no business names, not even any street names.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And we can’t look it up, either. They took our phones,” Iris added. “Not that we’d probably have coverage here.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Great,” he muttered. “Do we even know what day it is?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Boss shook her head. “No idea. But just to make sure… what’s the last day you remember?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Wednesday.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, I mean the date.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Umm…” He thought for a moment, trying to remember. “I think it was… April 28.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What year?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“2021.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She nodded. “That’s the same as the rest of us, then.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Is there any special significance to that day?” He asked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No. Not that I can think of.” She paused. “I mean, there was a huge case that day in Shibuya back in 2008 that did involve a kidnapping, but not like this, and no one here was even remotely involved. And the ones behind it were caught and arrested, anyways. That’s the closest thing I can think of, and it’s pretty weak.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah. I do remember hearing about that case, but from what I heard, it was nothing like this. There’s no way this is related.” He sighed. “So none of us have a clue what’s going on, and we’ve probably been kidnapped.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He was met with nods, shrugs, shaken heads, and stares. So he was right on the money.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Great.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mizuki took a deep breath and changed the subject. “Well, I think that should be all of us.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He looked over at her. “Huh? What do you mean ‘all of us’?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Boss ran a hand through her hair. “We divided this place up a little while ago and searched it thoroughly. The only ones we found were you and Ota. If there was anyone else, we would have found them by now.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah,” said Moma. “We looked all over the place, including inside the buildings, but only found you two. I think we were all in pretty obvious spots.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Mm-hmm. Date was just lying on the beach, and I’m pretty sure the rest of us woke up on the ground too. No one was hidden,” said Mizuki.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We can’t be </span>
  <em>
    <span>sure</span>
  </em>
  <span>, though. What about that inspector? What was his name again?” Date’s brows furrowed. “Kaniza? Kodaka? Kimizuka? ...Karawan?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Kagami,” Pewter sighed, exasperated.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Right, Kagome. He’s supposed to be watching you whenever you’re out, isn’t he? It would make sense for him to be here too. Considering...” He glanced around at them all.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ota nodded. “...Yeah. It can’t be coincidence it’s the eight of us.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Find the connection between the victims and you find the connection to the culprit. So said the basic theory of investigation. With the eight of them, that connecting thread was glaringly obvious. Picking it out had never been easier.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The New Cyclops Serial Killings.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But Saito Sejima was dead. So who? Was it So?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There was a crackling noise, and his head snapped towards it, looking for the source of the sound. It didn’t take long to find. An old TV he’d hardly noticed among all the other junk around them had turned on, and the screen had filled with static. All they could do was stare at it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“...Did one of you do that?” Hitomi asked. Slowly, they all shook their heads. She took a deep breath and knelt down in front of the TV, and, after looking over it for a few seconds, reached up and turned the dial. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A black-and-white image sprung to life on the screen, and she hurriedly stepped back. A muted jingle played, what appeared to be a rocket ship flew across the screen, and then the words “Extend TV” appeared. When the jingle finished, the image changed to that of a cartoon boy and a cartoon sheep.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Date was already so confused.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The image of the sheep beamed at them. “Hooray! It looks like you’re all together now!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That means it’s time for us to make our grand entrance, right?” The boy asked. His voice was nasally and annoying.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Thankfully, the sheep’s was much more tolerable. “Yep!” She exclaimed. “It’s our time to shine! I hope they like us!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The boy looked away, an exaggerated blush appearing on his cheeks. “Boy, I’m getting nervous. I don’t know if I’ll make a very good assistant…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’ll be fine! Just be confident.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, in that case…” He took a deep breath. “All right! It’s time for their first mission! Time to make a-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hold on!” The sheep shouted, suddenly switching to an angry face. “You’re going way too fast!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Tiiiiiiime… tooooooooo… maaaake…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I didn’t mean the way you talk! We need to introduce ourselves first!” Her face swapped to one that was mostly just exasperated, then back to her happy one. “Welcome to Garage Island, everyone! I’m Mirai, the herbivore mascot and host of ‘Extend TV!’”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And I’m the assistant, Sho Terashima!” The boy said proudly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She beamed again. “Sho and I are here to help you on your journey!”  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Their… journey?” Sho’s expression changed to one of mock surprise.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mirai giggled. “Yes! They’ve all been gathered here so they can go on a very important journey, and we’re guiding them through it!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Huh? How are we supposed to do that?” Sho frowned. “We’re stuck in this TV show, and they’re in the real world! How can we help guide them if we’re just characters in this cartoon?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Her face changed to the exasperated one again. “Sho, we’ve been over this. We help them by giving them missions to complete, remember? When they finish them, they’ll be one step closer to completing their journey, and we’ll give new missions to help them get even further! When they finish certain missions, we’ll give them rewards, too. All to help them out!” She turned to face the camera. “The first thing you all are going to need to do is build your base of operations. This mission is a little different, since it won’t directly help you with your journey, but it’ll make the journey much, much easier! So, now’s the time for you to announce the mission, Sho!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sho puffed out his chest. “Leave this to your trusty assistant! Here’s the first mission! It’s…! It’s…” A moment passed, and he said nothing. He awkwardly scratched his ear. “...Uh, wait, I forgot. What was it again…?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mirai sighed. “Sho, you were so eager to say it earlier. Don’t tell me you forgot!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ohh, wait, I remember now!” He grinned. “It’s… ‘become a pop idol’!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No it’s not!” She shouted, with her angry face again. “How would that help them? And Iris is already a pop idol anyways!” The sheep shook her head. “For your first mission, we’re going to have you all make some things. First, a water tower, bedrooms, and a toilet! Some really terrible things could happen if you don’t have those.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, if they don’t have a water tower, I don’t think they’ll have to worry about a toilet…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We don’t want them to </span>
  <em>
    <span>die, </span>
  </em>
  <span>Sho! We’re supposed to be helping them survive!” She shook her head. “Okay, that’s enough for now. Time to say goodbye! They have to do those things before they can see us again. Remember, kids-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Illuminate!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“A brighter future!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The two characters threw their hands in the air. “For humanity! Bye-bye!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The screen showed the rocket ship again, this time with the words “to be continued,” and then with a flash of static it winked out. For several seconds, none of them moved.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Iris scratched her head and broke the silence. “Uhh, the water tower, huh? I mean, I am kinda thirsty. The water tower was pretty broken when I checked, but if they want us to make one, I’m guessing there’s repair materials around here somewhere.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hold on.” Date let out a sharp exhale. “Don’t just gloss over that! What </span>
  <em>
    <span>was </span>
  </em>
  <span>that? A ‘journey’? What’s that supposed to mean? Why are we being told to make things that will help us </span>
  <em>
    <span>survive</span>
  </em>
  <span>? How long do they intend to keep us here?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hmm.” Pewter rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Ah, maybe it’s… a community service project of some sort? None of us are innocent, after all.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Boss frowned. “I've never heard of a community service project kidnapping people, or being this vague about the purpose.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Pewter shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe it’s a… vigilante justice version of community service.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Boss and Date both raised an eyebrow. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Vigilante justice</span>
  </em>
  <span> community service?” Date scoffed. “Seriously?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m just throwing ideas out there. Do you have anything better?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Maybe we’ve been kidnapped for a sadistic TV show where we all have to kill each other,” Ota suggested. He received nothing but glares and an outburst from Moma.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Are you kidding me? They said in the video that they </span>
  <em>
    <span>didn’t</span>
  </em>
  <span> want to kill us! Besides, they put us on a beach! If that’s what they wanted, they’d lock us up somewhere we couldn't escape! Who would have a killing game on a beach?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ota, Iris, and Mizuki glanced at each other knowingly. Date figured Moma must have been wrong about something, but they didn’t press it, so apparently it wasn’t important.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He sighed. “So we’ve got community service. Any other ideas? It’s true that we’ve all committed crimes, but…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ota looked offended. “Hey, what about-?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Date cut him off. “Sockpuppeting.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ota’s face went pale, and his mouth opened and closed like a fish’s. Too late, Date realized he’d said that in front of Iris. However, he also realized he didn’t care. She seemed too caught up in a complaint of her own to notice anyways. “I haven’t done anything illegal either!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Last time I checked, blackmail was a crime.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What about me?” Mizuki pouted.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m pretty sure knocking people’s teeth out counts as assault.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh. Right.” Her face relaxed again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I wouldn’t be too quick to dismiss the TV show idea,” said Boss, ignoring the protests. “It’s definitely not a killing game, though. More like the opposite.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hitomi nodded. “Survival shows </span>
  <em>
    <span>are </span>
  </em>
  <span>pretty popular. But, if that’s the case, they’ve given us a lot more to work with than any survival show I’ve ever heard of.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Huh? What do you mean?” Date asked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Right. Sorry, that TV cut us off. There’s actually a lot here,” said Hitomi. “We have this garage and all the buildings around, and… well, just look at this.” She stepped around a giant arcade machine in the back and opened a cabinet next to it. Inside were stacks of neatly folded clothes for each person, all exact duplicates of what they were wearing. There had to be at least a dozen sets for each of them. He was speechless. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And that’s not all.” Ota moved towards a different cabinet on the side of the garage and slid it open. Date’s gaze snapped to him. “There’s lots of food in here too. It’s not that exciting, mostly just beans and rice, but there’s some stuff in jars too. There’s also some oil and flour, and even a frying pan, a knife, matches, and soap.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“They pretty much gave us the stuff they wanted us to make, too,” said Iris. “I already mentioned the water tower, but there was also a half-built outhouse on the side of the island.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And the bedrooms. That two-story building next to this is like a really crappy motel or something. It’s a wreck in there, filled with tons of dirt and stuff, but there were a bunch of beds,” Moma added.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mizuki frowned. “It sounds more like we’re repairing stuff than building it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah.” Boss flipped her hair over her shoulder. “Well, I don’t know how to build anything, but repairing it should be manageable. I still don’t have a clue what’s happening, but it can’t hurt to fix this stuff up. It seems like they want us to stay a while, so not doing this would be shooting ourselves in the foot. Plus, they said they’d come on again when we finished our ‘mission,’ right? Maybe we’ll learn more then.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Date glanced over at her. “Do you </span>
  <em>
    <span>want </span>
  </em>
  <span>to watch any more of that?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She sighed. “No, not really. But it seems to be our only way forward.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Wait a second,” Ota butted in. “What if that’s only what they </span>
  <em>
    <span>want </span>
  </em>
  <span>us to think?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They looked at him curiously.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I mean, what if there’s another way out, but they’re distracting us with this so we don’t find it? And then we get so used to this that we don’t look for it?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, you mean like learned helplessness?” Mizuki's eyes lit up.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, exactly!” Ota nodded. “Like if you were put in a locked room with no way out except the door. You’d try it over and over, but it would stay locked, and you would eventually give up and look for a different exit. If the door then silently unlocked, you probably wouldn’t check the door again because you learned that it didn’t work, so you wouldn’t escape.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Date paused. “So you think there might be a hidden exit here that we overlooked? Maybe a boat or something we could repair to escape in?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Maybe.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“...Huh.” Boss shrugged. “It’s... possible. We didn’t find anything like that earlier, and we searched pretty thoroughly, but I can’t rule it out. It’s not a bad idea to have someone check. Probably someone who has zero experience with this sort of thing. We’ll need everyone else.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I can do that,” Pewter suggested. “Let’s just say physical labor isn’t my strong suit.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Boss shook her head. “No. You’re an engineer. We need your brain. You should be on standby, even if you don’t actually put it together.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He sighed. “Fair enough.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ll do it.” Hitomi smiled uncomfortably, rubbing at her shoulder. “I probably wouldn't be much help with stuff like this anyways.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Guilt clawed at Date’s heart. She didn’t hold it against him, he knew she didn’t, but knowing that look of uneasiness was because of </span>
  <em>
    <span>him</span>
  </em>
  <span>…</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Boss’s expression softened. “Don’t feel like you have to. I’m sure you know all about having to fix things after being in your house for so long. You’d be a big help.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hitomi smiled again and shook her head. “Oh, no, it’s fine. I want to do this. Besides, I can be pretty observant. This is a good job for me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, if you’re good with that, that sounds good to me.” Boss nodded. “Any objections?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>One by one, they shook their heads. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay, then Hitomi, you can look for a possible escape path. If you find any materials that might be useful, you can bring them back too,” said Boss. Hitomi nodded.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Now for the rest of us.” Boss cracked her knuckles. “Who wants to do what?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>* * *</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Mizuki connected one of the pipes to the newly clean water tower and twisted it in enthusiastically.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, Mizuki, be careful,” he warned. “You don’t want to break the threading.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Geez, I know. Pewter already told me.” She stepped back and lightly moved the pipe back and forth. It stayed securely in place. “See? I did it just fine. And even if I hadn’t, there are extras there. This is more than enough.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He sighed. Despite her insistence she had already grown out of her “pretentious teenager phase,” he couldn’t quite believe her. “Okay, okay, I get it. Just making sure. No need to be so difficult.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Chill out, guys. There are only two more pipes!” Iris seemed way more excited than she had any reason to be. “Come on, next pipe! I’m thirsty!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He could relate to that. His throat was dry. It was much warmer than he was used to, and wearing a black suit made things that much worse. He’d left his jacket in the garage, but unfortunately that didn’t help nearly as much as he’d hoped it would. As soon as they got the water tower working, he was taking full advantage of it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Iris grinned. “Gimme a P!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“A… ‘P’?” He echoed. Before he could figure out what she was talking about, she had snatched a pipe from his arms. He blinked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Gimme an I!” Iris cheered. Apparently, she had moved on.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mizuki took it from her with a smile, all traces of her earlier scowl completely gone. “I!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Gimme a P!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“P!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Gimme an E!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“E!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What’s that spell?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They shouted in unison. “Pipe!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What are you two </span>
  <em>
    <span>doing</span>
  </em>
  <span>?” He muttered, only more confused than before.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They laughed as Mizuki began to screw in the pipe. “Nothing,” they said, again in unison.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He figured this was one of those situations where it was better not to ask.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Thankfully, the third pipe connected without incident. Iris clapped. “Nice job, Mizuki!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mizuki grinned at her. “Hehe. It was pretty easy, but thanks.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Pewter said that’s all we needed to do, right?” Iris asked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mizuki nodded. “Yeah, that should be it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Date smiled. “Hopefully it works.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, hopefully! Water, here we come!” Iris grinned. “Are you ready? One, two, three!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She turned the valve.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>...Nothing happened.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After a few seconds, she frowned and shut it off again. “Aww. Why isn’t it working? We did everything right.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He sighed. “Guess we’ll have to ask Pewter.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Should I go get him?” Iris offered.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t know. He’s probably helping one of the other groups right now. It might be better to wait for him to come around again.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mizuki frowned. “Didn’t Pewter make Aiba? Maybe she would know.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, right.” He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. As pathetic as it was, with everything else going on, he’d forgotten completely about Aiba. Some partner he was. Although it didn’t help that she’d been so quiet since he arrived - </span>
  <em>
    <span>oddly</span>
  </em>
  <span> quiet, in fact. Now that she could talk to people other than just him she was making silly comments less frequently, but she hadn’t said </span>
  <em>
    <span>anything</span>
  </em>
  <span> since he woke up. That was more than unusual. “Hey, Aiba, are you there? Can you help us fix this water tower?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>No response.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Aiba. You there, Aiba? Time to wake up.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Still no response.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He frowned. “Huh. She’s not dead, is she? She was at almost full charge before, but who knows how long ago that was.” He turned to Iris and Mizuki. “Does my eye look weird? Is it all dull and cloudy?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They shook their heads. “I mean, it’s gray, but it’s like your other eye,” Iris said. “She does that sometimes, right?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah. She’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>usually</span>
  </em>
  <span> yellow, but sometimes… Huh.” He thought for a moment.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And then Date, being the brilliant detective he was, decided the best way to get Aiba’s attention was to jab himself in the eye as hard as he could.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Unsurprisingly, that did not go over well.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The yell that escaped him was completely involuntary, and he clapped a hand over his eye, spitting words he really shouldn’t have been saying in front of his daughters. He crouched down, still reeling in pain, and blinked rapidly in an attempt to get rid of the secondary stinging feeling of dust clinging to his eyeball.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It </span>
  <em>
    <span>hurt</span>
  </em>
  <span>, and it hurt </span>
  <em>
    <span>bad</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Uncle! Are you okay?!” The two girls ran up to him, but he was too focused on the pulsing pain in his eye to look over at them. All he could do was hiss out another string of expletives.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Agh… gah… ow…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After what felt like an eternity, the stinging went away, and the pain finally subsided some. He removed his hand and opened his left eye and, thankfully, found he hadn’t gone blind. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Uncle?” Iris asked again, concerned. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He slowly stood back up. “Yeah,” he groaned. “I’m fine. Probably shouldn’t have done that, though. Ow.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He looked at them, and they both grimaced. Iris sucked in a breath. “Oh. That’s not good. You definitely popped a few blood vessels.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Did I?” He put his fingers up to his eye again. “Crap.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“When I said to ask Aiba, I didn’t mean to </span>
  <em>
    <span>poke yourself in the eye</span>
  </em>
  <span>!” Mizuki huffed. “Stupid old man.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He groaned. “Yeah, I know. But I would poke Aiba to get her attention all the time, and it never hurt.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You wouldn’t do it that hard though!” She snapped.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I haven’t had to worry about it for the past almost eight years! There’s no reason I should have to worry about it now!” He scowled and shook his head. “But… I popped blood vessels?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah,” Iris said.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Several of them,” Mizuki added with a snort.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He closed his left eye and rubbed it lightly with his fingers. It was still sore. He stopped. “Aiba doesn’t have nerve endings or blood vessels. It shouldn’t hurt. I shouldn’t be </span>
  <em>
    <span>able </span>
  </em>
  <span>to pop blood vessels.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They seemed to understand what he was implying and looked at him doubtfully. “Maybe she’s just messing with you?” Iris suggested.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He sighed. “I don’t know. Like I said, I’ve poked her plenty of times, and she’s never pretended to do this. And I don’t think she can create pain. But… maybe.” He shook his head. “We need to go ask Pewter about the water tower anyways, right? I think I need to ask him about this.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Iris nodded. “Good idea.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They found him with Boss and Moma, who seemed to have successfully put up the toilet. To his surprise, Hitomi was there too. She must have found something.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, Pewter?” He called as he approached. The scientist turned toward him, and his eyes widened. “I need to ask you a few questions.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hitomi was the next to notice. She gasped. “Date-!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What the hell did you do to your eye?!” Boss yelped.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He opened his mouth to speak, but Mizuki was faster. “Jabbed his finger into it,” she snorted.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And why in the hell would you do that?” She shouted.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I was trying to get in touch with Aiba! I haven’t been able to reach her. So, uh, Pewter… she can’t… create pain in my eye, right?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Pewter shook his head. “No. She can’t.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And she doesn’t have blood vessels that could pop, either.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No. If she wanted, she could choose to appear that way, but I don’t see why she’d do that.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So she can’t create pain </span>
  <em>
    <span>or </span>
  </em>
  <span>have popped blood vessels,” Date repeated.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No. I don’t know of any prosthetic eye than can.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Great. Well, it sure as hell hurt.” He crossed his arms. His mind whirled. “So, I guess I have two real eyes now.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Pewter gave an exasperated sigh. “I guess so.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No-” He blinked, and let out a short breath. “What do you mean, ‘I guess so’?! You can’t regrow an eye! That </span>
  <em>
    <span>isn’t possible</span>
  </em>
  <span>!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, it certainly isn’t.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What the hell is that supposed to mean?!” Date shouted. “How the hell can I have </span>
  <em>
    <span>two real eyes</span>
  </em>
  <span>?!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t know!” Pewter shouted back.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Silence hung over them. Slowly, Date closed his eyes and forced himself to take a deep breath. Pewter’s face relaxed as well. “I don’t know,” he repeated, this time in a softer voice. “I don’t have a clue what’s happening. But it seems like you’re not the only one with some sort of miraculous recovery. We were just in the middle of a conversation about this when you came over here.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s… not just me?” His brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He means me,” said Hitomi quietly. He turned to face her, and she gave a thin smile. “I was just asking them about it. The same thing happened to me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It did?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hitomi nodded. “Yes.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Slowly, she raised her arm and waved at him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Her </span>
  <em>
    <span>right </span>
  </em>
  <span>arm</span>
  <em>
    <span>.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And suddenly, he found it very, very difficult to breathe.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“W-What?” He sputtered. “Y… Your arm…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah.” She rubbed her wrist like he’d seen her do a thousand times before, but then she turned her palm upwards. She clenched and unclenched her hand, gazing disbelievingly at the simple movement of her fingers. “When I was walking around, I realized I could feel it. Somehow it’s not dead anymore.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He too could only stare at her hand, her </span>
  <em>
    <span>working</span>
  </em>
  <span> hand. He couldn’t think. Words he didn’t have stuck in his throat, leaving him with only shaking, stunned breaths. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Her hand worked.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“O-Oh my gosh.” Iris’s voice broke through. “Mom… Your arm! Your arm works again, Mom!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hitomi smiled, a bright, wonderful, beaming smile, and looked at her daughter. “Yes. Yes, it does.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Iris sprinted to her and flung herself into Hitomi’s arms, grinning ear to ear. “That’s amazing, Mom! This is amazing!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hitomi hugged her tight, with </span>
  <em>
    <span>both</span>
  </em>
  <span> her arms, and they laughed and laughed. The sound was light and joyful, something brilliant in this strange, alien world, and it seemed to lift a weight from his heart.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eventually they grew quiet again, but their laughter lingered, and something that had been pressing down on them all was gone. They were all smiling. There was a sudden hope that hadn’t been there before - for what, he couldn’t tell, but it was something much needed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mizuki grinned. “That’s so great, Ms. Sagan! I’m so happy for you!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hitomi beamed at her. “Thank you, Mizuki. I’m… happy too.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Date still couldn't find words, but at least he was smiling too. Iris and Hitomi broke apart, and Mizuki gave them both a hug, and then they turned back to the group. Hitomi looked at him and smiled, and he found himself taking a breath.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m really glad,” he finally managed to say. “I’m really glad your arm works again.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes. I am too.” She closed her eyes, then seemed to realize something, and they snapped open again. “Oh, your eye. You just got it back, too. I should make sure you didn’t hurt it too badly.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ah… no, it’s fine.” He shook his head. “I’ll be fine. It was just a dumb move on my part.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, no, it’s okay! I want to make sure you didn’t scratch it.” She came up to him and peered up at his left eye.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He waved his hand dismissively. “Nah, it was just my finger. I didn’t hit it with my nail. It’s fine.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Let me see.” She grabbed his shoulder and pushed herself up onto her toes so she could examine his eye better. His whole body froze. From the corner of his eye, he could see how hers studied his, her face drawn into a look of concern. Suddenly it felt as if he would lose his balance if he moved even the slightest bit.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After a few seconds she stepped back down, and he let himself breathe again. His heart pounded. He instinctively glanced over at Iris. She was grinning. Whether it was just from her joy at seeing her mom get her arm back or not, he couldn’t tell.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hitomi smiled gently. “It looks like you’re okay. Just… don’t do that again.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He sighed, and tried to calm himself down. “Yeah, yeah. I know. I won’t.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So that makes two.” Pewter looked around at them. “Anyone else have any major injuries that suddenly healed?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Moma reached up to feel his forehead, and a look of confusion crossed his face. His fingers searched for something near his left temple, but found nothing. “Hmm. I’ve had this real nasty scar on my forehead for ages now, but I can’t feel it. Is it still there?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He removed his hand, and they peered at it, but there was nothing. Not even a trace of a scar. Iris frowned. “Oh, yeah, you did have a huge scar, didn’t you? I saw it when you came to say hi the other day. But it’s gone now.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Huh. Weird.” Moma frowned. All things considered, he seemed to take it pretty well.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“...Huh.” Boss shook her head. “Whatever. We can worry about this later. Maybe when we finish this up, we’ll get some more answers.” She turned to Date. “I think things are pretty much done here. How are things on your end?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We put those pipes in, but the water tower still doesn’t seem to be working. That’s why we were trying to get in touch with Aiba in the first place.” He looked over at Pewter. “We thought she might know how to help, but if you’re available, that’s just as well.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hmm. All right. I’ll take a look.” Pewter glanced at Boss and Moma. “I don’t think you need any more help here, right?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Nah, we’re good. The rest of us can go help Ota with the bedrooms. We’ll need to fill him in on this too.” Boss smiled. “Actually, Date and Mizuki, you come too. If the water tower is almost done, we don’t need as many people there. Plus, I think we need to supervise Date.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey!” He scowled. “How was I supposed to know I had a real eye there?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She snorted. “Stop doing stupid stuff and maybe you’ll get your privileges back, genius.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mizuki snickered. “Oh, so never?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Fine, fine!” He let out an exasperated sigh. “I’ll be more careful.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Moma decided he needed to test out their new restroom, and Boss hung behind to make sure it worked properly, so Date, Hitomi, and Mizuki headed off to the bedrooms by themselves. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Aiba…</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A pang of guilt once again struck at him. His head was too quiet without her. He sighed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hitomi glanced at him. “Are you okay, Date?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, I’m fine. I just hope Aiba’s okay.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mizuki nodded. “Me too. But she’s an AI. She’s probably doing better than any of us.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was a fair point. He gave a thin smile. “I hope you’re right.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>* * *</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Your eye grew back?!</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Unless Aiba suddenly grew blood vessels and nerve endings, apparently.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Date was glad that someone else was taking the sudden news that his left eye had somehow regenerated about as terribly as he had, even if that someone happened to be Ota.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Are you </span>
  <em>
    <span>sure </span>
  </em>
  <span>she’s not just screwing with you?” He seemed slightly horrified. “I mean, it’s an eye. There’s no replacing that.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s not just him. It’s me too. See?” Hitomi held up her arm. “I realized I could feel it just a few minutes ago.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I… I saw you rubbing it earlier, though! You would have felt that, right?” Ota sputtered. He only realized after he had spoken that it was a pointless argument.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She touched her right wrist and glanced down. “Yes, I did. It’s something that happens sometimes, though. I didn’t think much of it. But I did notice it was pretty strong. That’s why I was so uncomfortable.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mizuki’s eyes widened. “Phantom limb syndrome.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Y-Yes. I’m surprised you’ve heard of it.” Hitomi looked back up at them. “When someone loses a limb, sometimes they feel like it’s still there. It’s their eyes seeing the movement and thinking there should be feeling to go along with it. It’s weird and uncomfortable. I thought that’s what was happening. But obviously this isn’t like that.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ota stopped for a few seconds and rubbed the back of his head. “Well, I officially have no idea what’s going on.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Date sighed. “Neither do any of us, kid.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t call me a ‘kid,’ I’m 26-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So what do we need to do?” Mizuki interrupted loudly. “The only way to figure anything out is to get this done.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ota quickly forgot his complaint. “Well. I started clearing things out, and it seems like it’s mostly just junk in here, but not even that much. There are six rooms, and they all have a bed. Some of them have a nightstand or two, or a mirror. The biggest problem seems to be that everything is dirty. If we can fix that, and get the other things straightened out, we should be good to go.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Huh. Sounds pretty easy.” Mizuki nodded.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah!” Ota smiled. “I’m pretty much finished with this room, so you guys should go check out the others. With all of us, it shouldn’t take very long.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Boss and Moma should be here soon too.” Date thought for a moment. “You said there were six rooms, right?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yep.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And there are eight of us.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He sighed. “So some of us will have to share.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They fell silent and glanced at each other. Unfortunately, no one seemed to have any better ideas.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mizuki groaned. “That’s going to be a problem.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I wouldn’t mind sharing,” Hitomi suggested. “I don’t think Iris would mind. I’d be fine with Mizuki too though, or even Boss.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mizuki blinked. “Oh, I wouldn’t mind if it was you, Ms. Sagan. Or Iris. But that’s it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’d be fine with sharing too,” Ota added. “Especially if-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Date didn’t think he would have liked where that sentence was going. Thankfully, Ota never got to finish.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, guys, we have water!” Iris’s voice interrupted from outside. “Come check it out!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They turned around. She waved her hands, grinning excitedly. Wet spots dotted the front of her shirt.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“-Never mind, we can figure this out later.” Date shook his head. “Water sounds great right about now.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Apparently the rest of them agreed, because within a minute all of them, including Boss and Moma, were clustered around the water tower.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The water was clear and crisp, a welcome refreshment. He’d forgotten just how good it could taste. He must have been thirstier than he’d thought, because he drank it surprisingly fast.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ahh.” Boss let out a satisfied sigh. “That hits the spot.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah. I’ve never been so glad to have water in my life.” Iris stretched her arms up above her. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Pewter smiled. “We really should have focused on this first, honestly. If this thing had any more problems we might have been in real trouble.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Eh, it’s fine.” Boss shrugged. “Plus, someone needing to use the toilet while we were still putting it up would have been a real pain.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Speaking of that, how does it work?” Date asked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Moma grinned. “Like a charm. Well, I think. I didn’t see any issues.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A small smile rose to Hitomi’s face. “Then all we have left is the bedrooms.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ota nodded. “Seems like it. And with everyone working together, this’ll be quick.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Then let’s do this!” Iris cheered. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Date took a deep breath. They were almost there. And maybe, once they were, they’d finally get some idea as to what was happening.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>For a moment, a flicker of doubt crossed over him. Was it really the right choice to do everything the TV said? Should they really have been giving in so easily?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>...Oh well. It was their best bet at finding out anything. Refusing would get them nowhere. He shook his head. It wasn’t like doing any of this stuff would hurt them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>...Right?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The doubt lingered, but he shoved it aside.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>* * *</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>With eight people, it took less than an hour to get the remaining five rooms sorted out. They flipped the mattresses, cleared off the floors, put on the sheets, and removed as much dust as they could, and soon, slowly, it began to resemble something he could see people living in.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, this looks good to me!” Ota smiled. “Do you think we’re done?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, it’s livable now, at least.” Pewter shook his head. “I wouldn’t say I’d want to stay here, but I think for now this is about as good as it’s going to get.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Iris grinned. “Then… that’s everything! Everything’s done!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah. Yeah!” Moma cheered.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A small murmur spread among them, but it quickly faded. Mizuki scratched the back of her head. “So, what now?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Boss opened her mouth, but the question was answered for her by the faint crackle of static. She stopped. They glanced at each other. “Well, I was going to say we wait for news, but it appears we don’t have to,” she said cautiously. “Let’s see what they have to say.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The TV dial was set to the same position as the last time, but nothing appeared on the screen. Boss fiddled with it for a few seconds, and it snapped into a new position, and then the screen came into focus. She stepped back quickly and took a breath.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was that strange introduction with the rocket ship again, and the same program with the annoying boy and the sheep. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, kids!” The two cartoon characters said in unison. “It’s time for Extend TV!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Congratulations on setting up your base! Clap clap clap!” The sheep - Mirai, was it? - grinned and clapped her hooves together.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Now we have a water tower, bedrooms, and a toilet all ready to go! Heh, piece of cake! I guess this survival stuff isn’t as hard as it seems!” The boy, Sho, gave a thumbs-up. His voice was still just as grating.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Great job, everyone! But don’t let your guard down!” Mirai threw her arms up in the air. “After all, your journey is just beginning!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sho gulped. “So it’s finally starting…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That means it’s time to explain our purpose. I’m sure you’ve all been wondering why you and me and Sho are here, right? Well, here it is: we’re here to help you survive now that everything has been reduced to ruins. We’re the guides for all you last remaining survivors of humanity!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>...What?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sho’s eyes widened, and he spoke before they could react. “Huh? Wait, what? The last survivors of humanity?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah.” Mirai suddenly became sad. “Once upon a time, eight billion people lived on this earth… but now, that eight billion is down to just eight. You guys on Garage Island are the only ones left in the world.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>That… couldn’t be right. There was no way that was true. It wouldn’t make </span>
  <em>
    <span>sense</span>
  </em>
  <span> for-</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What?! N-No way!” Sho yelped, and his expression changed to one of total shock. “You’re joking, right? Please tell me you’re joking!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Unfortunately, I’m not.” Mirai shook her head. “They can’t remember it, but everything was destroyed. Their homes, their cities, everything they knew… It’s all been overrun, and is full of danger. Because of that, there’s nothing left but rubble. All of human civilization has been reduced to ruins.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sho got over his surprise as quickly as it had come. “Huh? But if that’s true, no matter how much guidance we give, there’s no way they’ll survive!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The sheep smiled. “Why do you seem so frustrated? This place is safe, remember? And they’ve all been given a special power to help them: the ‘X-Key’ on their belly buttons!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sho’s face scrunched up. “‘X-Key’? What’s that?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Let me explain. Do you know what a human clone is, Sho?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Of course I know what a loan is. My dad is knee deep in them!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Huh? </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Date blinked at the dark joke. It just felt… </span>
  <em>
    <span>wrong</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Shockingly unfitting and inappropriate to come after what they’d just said. A feeling of disgust wrenched in his stomach.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, I see. Well, uh, that got real dark real fast.” The sheep frowned. “But I’m talking about </span>
  <em>
    <span>clones</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Put simply, human clones are exact copies of people.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh. So, if there was a clone of me, he’d look exactly like me?” Again, the boy moved on far too quickly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s right! Well, you’re actually a clone yourself, Sho.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He laughed. “Ahahaha! That’s hilarious!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And I’m actually a sheep clone! You couldn’t tell, could ya?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He stopped. “...Wait, you’re serious?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, of course! Would I joke about something like that?” Mirai pointed a hoof at him accusingly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Huh, but… Wait just a minute!” Sho’s eyes widened. “Then where’s the original me?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Your original body died on the ‘Day of Reckoning.’” Mirai giggled. “But that’s okay! Your mind is still on your belly.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“My belly? Y-You mean…?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mirai nodded. “Yep, that X-Key on your belly button is where your mind is stored! As long as you have the X-Key, you can be revived in a new body! If you’re a clone, you don’t ever have to worry about death again!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Wow, that sounds amazing!” Sho suddenly seemed to realize something. “Wait, but if all of humanity was lost, that must mean… everyone watching this program is a clone too?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Mm-hmm! That’s right! And this special journey can only be undertaken by our clone friends!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Really?” Sho frowned. “I’m still having a hard time believing everyone is a human clone. That seems pretty unbelievable.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hmm. I thought you of all people would get it, Sho, but I’m sure they understand your confusion.” Mirai smiled. “Well, why don’t you all see it for yourself? It’s the next mission, after all!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sho and Mirai vanished, and the screen filled with only three words.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>MAKE A CLONE</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Woah!” Said Sho. “So we really </span>
  <em>
    <span>are</span>
  </em>
  <span> going to make a clone?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes! But there’s something that needs to be done first.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“There is? What’s that?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The two characters reappeared, and Mirai glanced down. She rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. “Well…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sho puffed out his cheeks. “Come on, just tell me already!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She sighed. “You see, to make a clone, you need an X-Key, but… umm… it won’t come off unless you die. In fact, you’ll die if you take it off. So, in order to make a human clone…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Huh? ...Oh!” Sho’s face lit up. “So someone just needs to die then? Pfft, piece of cake! I’m sure everyone will understand. I mean, they’re all haunted by their sins! It’s not like any of them would mind making a noble sacrifice!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well… that’s true. And we even have a special someone to help them out! Even if all of them die, she can pop the X-Keys in and revive them! I guess it won’t be a big deal after all!” Mirai grinned and waved a hoof. “Okay, we’ll see you all later! Remember, kids--”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sho threw his hands in the air. “Illuminate!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mirai did the same. “A brighter future!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“For humanity! Bye-bye!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The screen went to black, but no one said a word. They could only sit there in stunned silence.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>What…?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>The last… survivors of humanity?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>That wasn’t… that </span>
  <em>
    <span>couldn’t</span>
  </em>
  <span> be… </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“...Huh?” Ota was the first to break the silence. “What was </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> supposed to mean? </span>
  <em>
    <span>Clones? </span>
  </em>
  <span>There’s no way everyone else is </span>
  <em>
    <span>dead</span>
  </em>
  <span>!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t buy it either.” Boss’s eyes narrowed. “There’s no way that’s true. They have to be messing with us.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah. Humanity wouldn’t just disappear like that! They said we all died on the ‘Day of Reckoning,’ but I don’t remember anything like that!” Mizuki clenched a fist.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, me neither. None of us do!” Moma shouted.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Pewter set his jaw. “So they’re just toying with us?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What do they </span>
  <em>
    <span>want</span>
  </em>
  <span> with us?” Hitomi grit her teeth.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah.” Date snarled. “If they aren’t telling the truth, which they </span>
  <em>
    <span>can’t</span>
  </em>
  <span> be, why the </span>
  <em>
    <span>hell</span>
  </em>
  <span> are we really here?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Maybe it’s like we said earlier. Maybe this is a TV show,” Boss muttered. “It would certainly explain the setting.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“A TV show where they </span>
  <em>
    <span>kidnap people</span>
  </em>
  <span>?” Ota scoffed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She shook her head. “Well, it’s certainly more plausible than us all being clones and humanity being extinct.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I… wouldn’t be so sure about that,” Iris said quietly. Date turned toward her, and his breath caught in his throat.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She had lifted up her shirt, and just above her shorts, right where her belly button should have been, was a white, cross-shaped piece of metal.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He scrambled with his own shirt, and the others did the same. When he looked down, he saw the same thing. A white, cross-shaped piece of metal with blue streaks down the middle, right over his belly button.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What?” He tapped it, and it vibrated slightly. He tried to tug at it, but it pinched, as if it were welded to his skin. “What the hell is this?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Is this… the ‘X-Key’?” Mizuki gasped.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Iris let out a breath. “I think it has to be.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“...Ahah… hahaha! So everyone </span>
  <em>
    <span>is</span>
  </em>
  <span> dead?” Moma yelled. “What </span>
  <em>
    <span>is</span>
  </em>
  <span> this?!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Maybe it’s just a tracking device,” Pewter suggested. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Moma shouted. “Then why is our next mission for one of us to </span>
  <em>
    <span>die</span>
  </em>
  <span>? If we’re not clones, what the hell is this?! And if we </span>
  <em>
    <span>are</span>
  </em>
  <span>?!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ota’s face fell. “Maybe… this really is a killing game…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Then we won’t play!” Date snarled. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hitomi nodded. “We can’t kill anyone. Even if it means being trapped here forever. I won’t follow the missions if it means someone has to die!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Boss grit her teeth. “So we’re just stuck here, then? That’s the end of it?! We can’t even follow their instructions anymore?!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Do you really want to kill someone to see?” Date snapped.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Of course not!” She shook her head. “But-” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And then something behind them began to whir.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Their heads snapped to the source of the sound - the game console in the back. There was a noise like something clicking into place, and a few seconds later, a huge drawer shot out from the side of the machine.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They rushed over to it. Something pink and spherical and small enough to fit in his palm clattered around inside. It went still. They didn’t dare move. Then, with no outside input, it shook, once, twice, and sprung up into a familiar form, sprouting an artificial nerve.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>For a moment, it stared at them, seemingly just as shocked as they were. Then it waved its tiny paw. “[Umm. Hello, everyone!]”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There was no mistaking that voice.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Aiba!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“[Hello, Date.]”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He had never been so glad to hear it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He swept her up in his hands and held her, incredulous. She looked up at him. She was her usual golden-yellow, in her same hamster-like form as always, and certainly not a trace of any popped blood vessels. It was </span>
  <em>
    <span>her</span>
  </em>
  <span>.  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She was </span>
  <em>
    <span>there.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Aiba, what… where </span>
  <em>
    <span>were</span>
  </em>
  <span> you?” He sputtered. Their previous panic now seemed completely forgotten.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“[Unknown. It appears I was inside this machine.]”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I… I almost poked my eye out because of you, you know!” He snapped.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She tipped her tiny head. “[What?]”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I was trying to get your attention, so I went to poke you, but you weren't there! I could have gone blind!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She paused. “[Hmm. It does seem that you have sustained some damage to-]”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I know what I did!” He raked a hand through his hair. “Why weren’t you there?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She made an exasperated noise. “[This isn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>my</span>
  </em>
  <span> fault! I never told you to do that!]”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I know, I know, I’m not blaming you!” He sighed. “Just… what do you know?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“[Not much. The last data in my memory is of us at home.]” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“When?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“[April 28, 2021, at 6:37 PM.]”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The eight of them glanced at each other. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“[What do </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span> know?]”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Pewter shook his head. “About as much as you do.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah.” Date nodded. “We woke up here this morning. Why we’re here, and why it’s us specifically, we have no idea.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“[Hmm. Well according to that program, it is because you are the ‘last survivors of humanity’.]”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You saw that cartoon?” Boss asked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Aiba moved her arms up and down. “[I did.]”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Then tell us. Are we really human clones? Is the rest of the world really extinct?” Date looked at her intently.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Aiba paused for a moment, then shook her head. “[...Unknown. I appear to have lost access to the internet. Any information beyond what I already know has been hidden from me.]”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Do you have GPS?” Iris asked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“[No. Similarly, that function is currently not available.]”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mizuki frowned. “So no clues from you either.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“[Apparently not.]” Aiba hunched down, then leapt up onto Date’s shoulder. He blinked, and slowly put his hand down. The AI seemed content as ever. “[Would you mind explaining what you know?]”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>So they told her everything, starting from the very beginning.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“[I see.]” She nodded. “[And now your next mission is to make a clone, which means one of you has to die.]”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s too much of a risk,” said Boss. “We don’t know for sure that we’re clones yet. Even if we are, we don’t know if we can really make more clones of ourselves, and even if we can, we might not have our memories or something. We can’t kill someone. But it seems like we can’t get any information if we don’t.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“[Do you have any other leads?]” Aiba asked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They all shook their heads and fell silent.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“...Agh, I can’t think straight.” Mizuki sighed. “I’m tired of thinking about this. I haven’t eaten all day. We should make some food.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“...Yeah. That’s a good idea.” Iris gave a small smile. “We’re all hungry. Let’s figure this out later.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>One by one, they nodded slightly, and a pressure seemed to lift from the air.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>* * *</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You know what?” Moma grinned, holding up a piece of zucchini he’d just taken a bite of. “I swear this is the best tempura I’ve ever eaten.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ota shrugged. “Eh, it’s not that good. Having to make it without eggs was a pain. I can cook up some way better stuff back home.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Really? Damn. I’ll have to go visit your diner sometime.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hitomi chuckled. “Food always tastes better after a long day of hard work.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Your food is great all the time, though!” Mizuki grinned. “And Ota’s, too.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah.” Date nodded. “Seriously, thanks, you two. It tastes great.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>All the tension from earlier seemed to have evaporated. They had all been much hungrier than they’d realized, as evidenced by how quickly they’d devoured the fried vegetables, and now that they had their problems didn’t seem quite as big anymore. Iris, Mizuki, and Ota started discussing a plot detail from some video game, and Boss launched into a drinking story he’d heard a thousand times, and Moma, as usual, seemed surprised by everything. Sitting around a table far too small for them, picking crumbs out of a frying pan with Aiba waddling around next to them… it almost felt normal. Under different circumstances, he might have even called it nice.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Well, except for the fact that his water tasted kind of like pickle juice. But when they had nothing to use for cups except the jars the vegetables had been in, that was unavoidable.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Maybe they were all trapped on a deserted island with no hope of escape, but as far as days went, he’d had far worse.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“-what? That’s so cool! I never noticed that! That’s some crazy foreshadowing!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“-and then this guy, </span>
  <em>
    <span>get this</span>
  </em>
  <span>, he has the </span>
  <em>
    <span>audacity</span>
  </em>
  <span> to say-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He sighed and leaned back, taking a sip of his pickle water, and smiled.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>[</span>
  <em>
    <span>You almost seem like you’re enjoying yourself, Date.</span>
  </em>
  <span>] </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He glanced over at the creature that usually lived in his left eye socket. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Hey, at least I don’t have to worry about work.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>[</span>
  <em>
    <span>Oh? I never took you for the vacationing type.</span>
  </em>
  <span>]</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Even I like to get away sometimes. I wish things were different, but at least right now, it isn’t so bad.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The sun soon began to dip below the horizon, and their conversations died down, but the calmer atmosphere remained. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It didn’t take long to clean up after their dinner. By the time it was dark out, all they had left to do was assign the bedrooms. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So,” he started. “I know we briefly talked about this earlier, but we seem to have a numbers issue.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“[What would that be?]” Aiba asked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, right, you wouldn’t know.” He sighed. “There are only six rooms. Which means some of us will need to share.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Like I said earlier, I wouldn’t mind,” Hitomi offered. “Especially if it was Mizuki or Iris.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Iris grinned. “I’d be good with you or Mizuki! Or Boss. Or Uncle.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What about me, Tesa?” Ota asked, a bit too much excitement creeping into his voice. “I can keep you safe! And I know-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Nope,” Iris said flatly. Ota practically deflated. Date was thoroughly amused.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Wow. Total shutdown.” Mizuki smirked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Date shook his head, moving on. “Thanks for the offer, Iris, but I’d prefer if you shared with someone else.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, no problem!” She beamed at him. “Well, I can share with Mizuki and you can share with Mom. That works, right?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He shot her a withering glance. She didn’t seem to notice.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Umm…” Hitomi laughed awkwardly. “No. Sorry.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Boss smirked and propped an elbow up on his shoulder. “Well, </span>
  <em>
    <span>I</span>
  </em>
  <span> wouldn’t mind sharing with him.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He scoffed. “I don’t feel like being harassed by embarrassing stories about myself all night, thank you very much.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Her face fell. “Aww. Shame. Pewter, then.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Me?</span>
  </em>
  <span>” He shook his head. “You know I’m not… </span>
  <em>
    <span>into</span>
  </em>
  <span> women, right?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She grinned. “That’s exactly why.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I-” He sighed and adjusted his glasses. “I suppose that makes sense. But still, I’d rather not.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I-I mean, I wouldn’t mind being with Tesa either,” Moma said awkwardly, scratching the back of his head.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Nope,” Iris said again, just as flatly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Date shook his head and sighed. “Do I need to keep an eye on you and Ota? Are you two going to need to share?!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, what do you think we’re going to do to her?” Ota clenched a first. “Are you saying we’d hurt her?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Moma gasped. “How </span>
  <em>
    <span>dare </span>
  </em>
  <span>you? Date, you… evil pervert!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Wh- I am the </span>
  <em>
    <span>least</span>
  </em>
  <span> perverted one here right now!” He huffed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mizuki snickered. “That’s a first.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hmm.” Boss put a hand up to her chin. “Well, we’re apparently the last survivors of humanity, right?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He had a bad feeling about where this was going.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Moma glanced at her. “Yeah…?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And a lot of times, in stories like these, the goal is for people to repopulate the planet, right?” She smirked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A moment passed. No one said anything.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Boss shrugged and put her hand on her hip, then looked over at Date. “Huh. Maybe you and Hitomi really </span>
  <em>
    <span>should</span>
  </em>
  <span> share a room.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He groaned. “You see? This is what I’m talking about!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>[</span>
  <em>
    <span>I can tell you wouldn’t mind that at all, though.</span>
  </em>
  <span>]</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Shut up, Aiba! I don't need your input!</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m kidding! Kidding.” Boss smirked. “Sheesh, I wasn’t being serious. It was just a joke.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Pewter let out a long sigh. “If I may. Why don’t we just have Iris with Hitomi and Date with Mizuki? They’re already used to living together.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I-I’m fine with that.” Hitomi nodded a bit too quickly. He couldn’t blame her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But something told him that arrangement would not turn out well for him. He and Mizuki glanced at each other and groaned.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“[No need to worry. There is a simple solution.]” Aiba turned to Iris. “[Iris. You said you wouldn’t mind sharing with the Boss, correct?]”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Iris nodded. “That’s right.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“[Boss, would you be okay with that?]”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Boss flipped her hair over her shoulder. “Fine by me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“[Mizuki. Hitomi. You two said you would be fine sharing too, right?]”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The two of them nodded.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“[Then it’s decided],” Aiba said triumphantly. “[For tonight, the Boss will share with Iris, and Mizuki will share with Hitomi. Unless, perhaps, someone would like to sleep on the floor instead?]”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>No one said a word.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Her tone turned smug. “[Problem solved.]”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He sighed. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Thanks, Aiba. Wish you’d done that a little earlier.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>[</span>
  <em>
    <span>I could have done that right from the start. However, it was more fun this way, wasn’t it?</span>
  </em>
  <span>]</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>You’re a pain sometimes, you know that?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>[</span>
  <em>
    <span>I don’t know what you could possibly mean.</span>
  </em>
  <span>]</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He sighed. Maybe he’d been too quick to call whatever situation they found themselves in now “nice.” He’d forgotten how quickly it could get chaotic with all of them. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>This was going to be… interesting.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>* * *</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>His sleep was far from comfortable, and he woke more than once during the night, but at least when morning finally came he felt somewhat rested. Maybe it helped that he was used to sleeping on a couch. He sat up and yawned, blinking against the sun that filtered in through the small window. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>[</span>
  <em>
    <span>Good morning, Date.</span>
  </em>
  <span>]</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Morning, Aiba. How is it out there?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>[</span>
  <em>
    <span>Good. Breakfast is almost ready, if you’re curious.</span>
  </em>
  <span>]</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Damn, am I that late?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>[</span>
  <em>
    <span>No. Hitomi just decided to start it early. She seems excited to be able to cook using both her hands again.</span>
  </em>
  <span>]</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Ah… I see. That’s good.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He fumbled for the elastic band on the floor next to him, and, finding it, stood up and got out of bed. He groggily opened the door. Even though it was still early, it was already warm. He could leave his jacket behind. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Date stepped out into the morning air, closing the door behind him, and a slight breeze blew through. His hair tickled the base of his neck. He took the elastic and pulled it back into a ponytail. It was something he’d taken to doing lately - along with swapping out his old gray and red suit for a new black and purple one, it made him a little closer to the </span>
  <em>
    <span>him</span>
  </em>
  <span> he’d been for those six years.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ota was crouched down in front of the garage, setting a piece of scrap metal over where they’d made the fire the previous night, presumably so they could cook something on it. He gave a lazy wave when he saw him. “Morning!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey. Morning.” Date rubbed the last of the sleep out of his eyes and glanced around. His left eye still stung a little. “Is anyone else up?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ota nodded. “Hitomi’s getting water so we can make the food, and Mizuki should be around here… somewhere. She went off to catch a goat or something.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Date frowned. “A goat?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, she said she heard a goat. And since we don’t exactly have infinite food…” He sighed. “You can go find her if you want. We’ve got this under control.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“All right. It’s probably a good idea to make sure she’s not getting into trouble.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I think you should worry about yourself more than her.” Ota frowned. “Your eye is still…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Is it bad?” It was still a little sore, but if he didn’t think about it, he could barely feel it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s better than yesterday, but it’s still pretty red.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It doesn’t hurt. I think it’ll be fine.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ota smirked. “Just make sure you don’t stab yourself again.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He snorted, and turned and left with a wave.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It didn’t take long to find Mizuki. She was standing near the entrance of one of the collapsed buildings, sifting through the rubble. “I heard you were looking for a goat,” he called out to her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She turned towards him. “Yeah, I am. But you can’t hunt without a weapon.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s true.” He stopped next to her and peered at the crumbled mess. “What are you looking for?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“A weapon.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He sighed. “Yes, I know that. I mean, what </span>
  <em>
    <span>specifically</span>
  </em>
  <span>?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What do you </span>
  <em>
    <span>think</span>
  </em>
  <span>?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“A pipe?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She grinned. “Of course.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Have you found anything?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No. I mean, there are some sticking out of the walls, but…” She shook her head. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He looked at one of the walls and found what she was talking about. The exposed piping was covered with dirt and rust, and there were spots where the rust had worn holes in it. “I see. Did you try searching the building where Pewter found the pipes for the water tower? Those were just lying on the ground.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, but I didn’t turn up anything there either. Besides, those were plastic. They wouldn’t work very well as a weapon.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He tried to imagine smacking someone with a plastic pipe. With her it might work, but for anyone else… </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Good point.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mizuki went back to searching, seemingly paying him no mind. He scratched the back of his head awkwardly. “Umm, anything I can… do to help?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She looked back at him. “If you want, you can look through a different building. I don’t think people checked underneath the rubble when we searched before.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He sighed and glanced over at another collapsed building. “Right.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Well, he didn’t have anything better to do.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Unfortunately, his search seemed to be mostly fruitless. Beneath the fallen rock was more rock, and beneath that there was either nothing or old trash. It was probably usable as kindling, at least. The only pipes he found were rusted beyond repair, and crumbled to pieces when he tapped them with a rock.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They had been given so much, yet the buildings yielded nothing at all. What did their captors want from them? That story about humanity being extinct couldn’t be true - if it were, there wouldn’t be a TV show guiding them, especially not one so vague. What was “a journey” supposed to mean, anyways?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It all still felt unreal, but there he was, picking through collapsed buildings as the sun began to beat down on him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After only a day, he didn’t want to think about the mission anymore. Maybe they could figure things out better once everyone was awake. Maybe, then, it wouldn’t be as much to grapple with.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Neither he nor Mizuki had turned up a usable pipe by the time Ota shouted in the distance.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, guys, get up! Breakfast is ready! You’re gonna miss it!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>[</span>
  <em>
    <span>Breakfast is ready, Date.</span>
  </em>
  <span>]</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Yeah, I heard. I’m coming.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He and Mizuki made their way back to the garage to rinse off their hands. Pewter had woken up since he had, but they watched in amusement as Moma, Boss, and Iris stumbled out of their rooms, still half asleep.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Coming, I’m coming,” Boss mumbled. “Haven’t had my coffee…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mizuki smirked at them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>With all of them there, he did feel better, if only a little.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>* * *</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Breakfast was simple - rice and beans, and not much of it; until they found another source of food they needed to start rationing - but filling enough, and by the time it was finished everyone seemed to be fully awake. They didn’t talk much. Whether that was because there wasn’t much to talk about or because the most pressing issues were topics they didn’t want to confront, he wasn’t sure. Maybe both.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well,” Mizuki announced after everyone was done, “I’m pretty sure I heard a goat earlier. I’m going to go look for it. If we can find some weapons, we can hunt it down. Anyone want to come with me?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hunt it?” Moma frowned. “But we just ate.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mizuki sighed. “Not for right now. For later. We don’t know how long we’re going to have food for, right? If we can find animals to hunt, we won’t have to worry about running out.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh. Yeah, I guess that makes sense.” Moma scratched the back of his head.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Iris paused, thinking. “Hmm. Well, I’ve never been hunting before, but that sounds fun! I’ll go with you! Just give me a few minutes.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah! I’ll go with you too!” Ota smiled. “I think I have to help clean up first, though.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hitomi shook her head and smiled. “Oh, it’s all right. I’ll take care of it. Both of you, go.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Iris tipped her head. “Are you sure, mom?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes. Really, it’s fine.” Hitomi nodded. “Go have fun.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Just don’t get hurt,” Date added casually.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mizuki smirked. “What, you worried?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He rolled his eyes. “Nah. Just be careful.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Whatever you say, old man.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He scoffed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I-I’ll go too.” Moma stood up. “I’ve been hunting before. I know what to do.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Date raised an eyebrow, but Iris just smiled brightly. “Yeah, that’ll be super helpful! Thanks, Moma!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Y-You think? Nah, it’s nothing, really!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, come on! I’m sure you’ll be a great help!” She giggled.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I mean, sure, if you say so!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Iris spoke up again as they left. “So, we’re looking for weapons first, right? I was thinking we should split up to make it easier. How about boys versus girls?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Woah, slow down, that’s-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I like that!” Mizuki’s voice piped up cheerfully, growing fainter as they got farther away.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Date smirked. Pewter shook his head, though he was clearly amused, and Hitomi turned away with a self-satisfied smile, collecting their used utensils in both hands.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“[They certainly are an interesting bunch, aren’t they?]” Aiba remarked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Boss chuckled softly and sighed. “Yeah.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>None of them said anything after that. Considering the group, he wasn’t surprised. Not that there was much any of them would want to discuss anyways. The only sound was the water sloshing slightly as Hitomi washed the dishes.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He leaned back in his chair. “Need any help, Hitomi?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She shook her head and smiled, waving a soapy hand dismissively. He couldn't help but notice it was her right. “No, not at all! I’m enjoying this, actually. It’s fine.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He gave a small smile. “If you say so.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Seeing her so excited about everything made him happy, of course… but it also ached a little.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>I…</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He shook his head and sighed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It only took a few minutes for Hitomi to finish, and then they were all sitting around the table again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Aiba broke the silence. “[You know, this table is much too small for the eight of you. Even having four people here is a stretch.]” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah. We barely have enough chairs to go around, too.” Pewter added softly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“[If only you were as small as me, it would be no problem!]” Aiba joked, attempting to lift the mood. She hopped up and down for emphasis. “[You could easily fit eight of me on this table.]”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was a dumb joke, but it brought faint smiles to their faces. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Mmm.” Hitomi nodded. “A bigger table would be nice.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I </span>
  <em>
    <span>could</span>
  </em>
  <span> try to design one. It would be rather easy, in fact. Unfortunately, I don’t think we have the materials, nor the necessary tools.” Pewter sighed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What else can we do?” Date asked. “I combed through some of the broken buildings earlier with Mizuki, but we didn’t find anything. I don’t think the rubble will be very helpful.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And we already searched the few buildings that are still intact. All we found were those plastic pipes,” said Pewter.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“[Making tools and finding sources of food and water should be our top priority,]” said Aiba. “[Complex construction projects such as a table will be nearly impossible without proper tools. We’ve already been over the food issue, but we also don’t know if the water tower merely stores water, or if it regularly receives it. We may have to find a way of purifying water.]”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Date sighed. “Yeah. Great.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“[Thankfully, Mizuki has used me to watch several videos on the topic before. I cannot access the internet, but my memory is both flawless and intact.]”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He blinked. “Well, that’s… convenient.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“[Did you forget what she carried around in her backpack? She’s been interested in this subject for years,]” Aiba pointed out smugly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s good for us, then,” Boss said. “Hitomi, did you see anything like that when you were looking around yesterday?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hitomi’s eyes widened. “Ah- no, but I only got about halfway around the island before I realized my arm worked and ran over to you. There might be something on this side.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I see.” Boss sighed. “Then I doubt it. We’ve all been hanging out on this side and haven’t noticed anything.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hitomi’s face fell. “That’s true.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Pewter shook his head. “What’s up with you, Boss? You’ve been awfully quiet this morning.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ve been… thinking about the video a lot,” she said slowly. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Date’s eyes narrowed. “Boss, don’t tell me you’re actually thinking-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“The video said a ‘noble sacrifice,’ right?” She gave a thin smile. “So, someone just has to die. We don’t have to kill someone.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Boss.” He shot her a stern glare. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>No.</span>
  </em>
  <span>” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She sighed. “I’m not going to do it. But if it’s our only way forward, then-” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We’re not going to let anyone die, okay?” He snapped. “Cut it out, Shizue.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She opened her mouth again, but shut it without saying anything. The rest of them fell silent as well, at a loss for how to continue the conversation.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Shoot. That killed the mood, didn’t it.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>[</span>
  <em>
    <span>You were right to say that. However, you could have handled the topic more gently.</span>
  </em>
  <span>]</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Sorry. I’ve just… seen enough death. I don't want to see any more now.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“...Guys!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The voice was faint, but they all seemed to hear it, and glanced at each other. Then there came the pounding of footsteps. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Guys!</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The voice was closer, and unmistakably Iris’s.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Date leapt out of his chair and sprinted out of the garage, the others following close behind him. Iris ran towards them even quicker. She stopped in front of them and doubled over, panting.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Iris? What is it?” Hitomi rushed over to her and put a hand on her back. “What happened?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After a few seconds, Iris’s breaths began to slow, and she stood up straight again. She smiled and brushed away Hitomi’s hand. “It’s okay, Mom. Everything’s fine. But we- we found </span>
  <em>
    <span>another island.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Boss gasped. “What?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Where?” Pewter asked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“O-Over there.” She pointed toward the opposite end of the island.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hitomi’s eyes widened. “But that’s… that’s where I found Ota yesterday, and neither of us saw that. I looked around there for an escape route too. There weren’t any other islands!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, I know. I trust you. Ota said the same thing. Just… follow me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Date hesitated for a moment, then took a deep breath. “Okay.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She led them to the corner of the island. Moma, Ota, and Mizuki were already there, looking around nervously. And, sure enough…</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What?” Hitomi whispered. “That’s… impossible.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>What had been clear blue ocean the day before was instead one nearly continuous shore, and beyond that, there was a second island.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was far smaller than the one they were standing on, the one the TV program had called “Garage Island,” but it wasn’t tiny by any means. A huge concrete building sat in the center of it, stifling and prison-like.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>For some reason, it put a feeling of dread deep within him. Maybe it was the stark contrast with the buildings around him, which, although collapsed, were decorated like places that would be used. Maybe it was because it was the only thing there, like an abandoned husk. Either way, the sight of it was incredibly unsettling.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s like it just… drifted in,” said Ota.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s not possible, right?” Mizuki asked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It shouldn’t be, and yet…” Pewter shook his head. “...I’m not so sure anymore. We’ve seen a lot of ‘impossible’ things.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They all went quiet again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Slowly, Boss let out a breath. “I think we need to explore it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“W-What?” Date responded almost instinctively, and glanced around at the others, as if to justify his protest. They all seemed just as uneasy as he was. “Are we sure that’s a good idea? It could be really dangerous.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Boss nodded. “I agree. But something like this doesn’t just happen. It can’t be random.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Moma glanced at her. “You think whoever trapped us put this here?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Almost definitely.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“But we don’t have to,” Date said. “We don’t have to listen to them. Just like we’re not going to kill anyone like they want us to. We don’t have to do this either.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And then what?” She stared at him intensely. He couldn’t think of anything to say. He looked away</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She sighed. “Date. I know you want to keep everyone safe, but right now, this is our only option. We only have enough food to last us a few more days. We have no idea if or when we’ll run out of water. There aren’t any other supplies here. We can’t wait until we’re starving to see if something else opens up. And if the person who trapped us put this here, it’s our best shot at getting any information. If we have any hope of figuring anything out, we either do this… or someone has to die.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A long silence fell over them, and unexpectedly, it was Hitomi who broke it. “...I think we should. We need to take advantage of every opportunity we have. We need the supplies. And if it’s a choice between someone dying and this…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Moma nodded slowly. “...Yeah. I agree.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Me too,” said Mizuki.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah. Mom and Boss are right.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“[I agree as well. While you could wait it out, it is better to do this before you're desperate. Once you reach that point, you may not have enough energy to continue, and may die anyways.]”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Between this and death...</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“...Fine.” Date sighed. “I see your point.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Boss turned toward the island. “Then we should go.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“R-Right now?” Pewter sputtered.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She smirked, though it came out halfheartedly. “We don’t have anything better to do, do we?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He opened his mouth, then stopped and let out a slow exhale. “I suppose not.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Wait. We could at least wait a day or two, couldn’t we? To prepare more?” Date said quickly. “If we go in better equipped, then…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He trailed off. Even he didn’t know where he was going with that. There </span>
  <em>
    <span>was</span>
  </em>
  <span> no better equipment - that was why they were so desperate to go in the first place. It was a contradictory line of reasoning.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The others went quiet, though, so they must have thought he had a point. A faint flicker of hope sprung up in him. Maybe they’d listen to him after all.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Then there was a sort of bleating sound, and Mizuki pointed and cried out, and that all went out the window.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, there’s the goats!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And there they were - goats, grazing on the grasslike weeds overrunning an area on the side of the small island.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, so that’s where they were!” Iris grinned. “No wonder we couldn’t find them!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Haha! This is great! There are a bunch of them!” Ota pumped a fist in the air. “We don’t have to worry about running out of food for a while now!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah. I could really go for some meat for dinner. I say we catch one as soon as we can!” Moma rubbed his hands together.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A relieved murmur swept through them, and Date couldn’t find anything else to say.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You scared, Date?” Boss smirked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He opened his mouth, then sighed and closed it again. “No.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>[</span>
  <em>
    <span>That is not entirely true.</span>
  </em>
  <span>]</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Shut up.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Her face relaxed, and she smiled gently. “If you don’t want to come with us, that’s fine. It’s not a very big place. Seven people will be more than enough.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>[</span>
  <em>
    <span>You should be honest about how you feel, Date.</span>
  </em>
  <span>]</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He shook his head. “No. It’s fine. I’ll come with you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was something about that building he couldn’t quite place. It loomed over him, massive and unmoving, and for some reason it seemed to be targeting him specifically. It made the others uncomfortable, sure, but as far as he could tell, they weren’t feeling anything close to he was.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He didn’t know why, but every time he looked at it, it sent pinpricks up his spine. He shivered. Pushing the feeling down, he shook his head and set his jaw.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“...All right.” Boss nodded and put a hand on her hip, then turned to the others. “Then, everyone, find something you can defend yourself with, just in case. And prepare to get your socks wet.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>* * *</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Mizuki was forbidden from hunting the goats until they had explored the area more, much to her disappointment.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They split the island up like before, excluding the building in the center, and each of them took a section. As he explored his designated area, the feeling of dread slowly began to fade. If he didn’t focus on the building, the island actually wasn’t so bad. It had more plants and no crumbled structures, making it seem more full of life than the main island.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>However, it couldn’t have been more than half an hour later when they met up again, all empty-handed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>So they had no choice but to enter that godforsaken place.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Standing in front of it, it loomed over him more than ever, and the feeling of nervousness returned. He swatted it away the best he could.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A faded rectangular patch above the doors showed where a sign had once hung, but there was no trace of it anywhere. However, next to the doors was a small generator.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay,” Boss said. “It’s time. Are you ready? I’m going to open the doors.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They nodded. She took a deep breath and turned on the generator.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>In just a few seconds it started up, and the doors slid open. A moment later, dim lights flickered on inside.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“There’s power!” Iris gasped. “That’s new!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>To his surprise, aside from a layer of dust, the inside was clean. The floor was white tile, and the walls were decorated with faded wallpaper. Something like a reception desk sat in the center of the room, and another door was in the back. It smelled musty, but other than that, it looked almost… normal.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Something about it being so mundane in this crazy world was unsettling. They stopped to listen. Nothing. Mizuki, being the rash teenager she was, stepped forward and strode inside, and his heart leapt into his throat, but he held himself back. She stood there for a few seconds, looking around carefully.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Again, nothing happened.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She looked at them. “I think it’s safe.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They glanced at one another, and, one by one, began to step inside.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, and there’s stuff over here!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Anyone still unconvinced ran inside at that, and they began to search the room.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A few old chairs and a small table were lined up against the wall, both helpful things to them, but Mizuki’s cry of triumph had come from the reception desk. She had pulled open a drawer and found, of all things, a pocketknife. She held it up in the air - folded up, thankfully; she had already given him enough of a heart attack - and laughed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sadly, the other drawers weren’t as useful, mostly just holding basic office supplies, but it was better than the nothing they’d found from the buildings on Garage Island. Unlike those, this one seemed almost completely unscathed. It was completely intact, with not even a trace of decay, and despite the awful exterior, on the inside, it was by far the most modern thing they’d seen. He felt a little more reassured at that.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Once they’d gone through the desk thoroughly and its former contents were scattered all over the floor, the mood lifted considerably. They eagerly picked through them, debating whether to leave paper clips, pencils, paper - all of it could be valuable. Whoever had captured them clearly wanted them to find the things inside. Maybe this place really wasn’t as bad as he had feared it would be.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, look.” Hitomi said suddenly, pointing to the door in the back. “I think there’s something printed on that door.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His attention flicked to it. Unlike the entrance, it was glass, and there did seem to be something printed on it, though it was too faded to make out from far away.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Huh,” he said. “You’re right.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>With her close behind him, he went over to examine it. The others followed. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Up close, it was easy to see they were letters. They were faded and worn, but still very much legible. A few were missing entirely, but it wasn’t too difficult to fill in the gaps. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And when he read them, he stopped dead in his tracks.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suddenly, he felt very, </span>
  <em>
    <span>very</span>
  </em>
  <span> cold.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>No… this can’t…</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His head snapped from one side to the other, taking in the shape of the room once more, and his eyes widened in realization. An awful, terrible chill writhed its way through his entire body, seething in the pit of his stomach.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>No… no, why…? Why would…?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Was it just coincidence? Was what that TV program said true, and this place just happened to be the one to drift in by chance? Was it random that the first building with any sort of legible identification was this one? </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>No, that couldn’t be. Why else would there be power? Why else would there be supplies? Why else would it have appeared the day after they were all kidnapped?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His mouth curled into a snarl. His hands balled into fists. He wanted to drive them through the wall. To tear this damned place apart brick by brick.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>How </span>
  <em>
    <span>dare</span>
  </em>
  <span> they?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>What kind of sick joke is this!?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>That was when he saw it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>On the other side of the door, a grotesque, gargantuan eyeball stared back at him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He didn’t have time to react. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The next thing he knew, there was shattering glass, and something slammed into him like a truck. Or, more accurately, it slammed right</span>
  <em>
    <span> through </span>
  </em>
  <span>him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A thick white tendril, like a band of twisted snakes, was sticking out of his chest. He looked down at it, disbelieving, not entirely sure what had just happened. His body made a weak, choked sort of noise. Then there was the sound of bones snapping, and someone behind him screamed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He couldn't move.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His ears rang. His vision swam. A thick, metallic taste flooded his mouth, pressing against him in a solid, inescapable torrent. He couldn’t spit it out.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He couldn’t breathe.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It took him a moment to realize he was drowning in his own blood.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The grotesque eye filled his vision. In the haze of his consciousness, he felt blood dribble down his chin. And despite his rapidly failing mind, he heard a taunting laugh, clear as day.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The same sickening, blood-curdling, horrific laugh that had haunted his nightmares his entire life.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His legs gave out and he crumpled, limp. His broken body crashed into the doors. A debilitating pain ricocheted through every inch of him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And then there was nothing.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>* * *</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>...Or maybe there was.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A faint feeling of warmth wrapped around him. With no sense of anything else, it was vaguely comforting.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It felt… nice. He let his head fall to the side and took a small breath.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Except he couldn’t. Something wouldn’t let him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>...</span>
  </em>
  <span>He couldn't breathe.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>That was when he remembered. Terror shot through him. What happened to him? Where was he?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He flailed his arms, but found only metal. The warmth pressed in all around him. It was only then that he realized he was floating in water.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Let me out let me out LET ME OUT-</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Something slammed against the top of his head, and he gasped, involuntarily sucking in a breath. Water filled his lungs. His body immediately rejected it but his mouth only let in more and his throat stung and his eyes flew open and then suddenly there was </span>
  <em>
    <span>light</span>
  </em>
  <span>-</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His head broke the surface, and there was air. He coughed and sputtered, spitting out water, inhaling in great gulps that only made him cough more, but that didn’t matter. He could </span>
  <em>
    <span>breathe</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“D-Date...?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Still gasping, he blinked the water from his eyes, and his vision slowly came into focus. Someone was leaning over him - someone with brown hair and puffy eyes and a cream-colored sweater, a look of desperate hope on her face.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“H-Hitomi,” he croaked, his voice raw from all the coughing. “What… happened to me?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She gasped, and her face stretched into a beaming smile. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she seemed to fight back a sob.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He shifted his gaze. Beyond her were the other six, looking almost as astonished as she was.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“[So you made it],” said Aiba.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Iris grinned. “Welcome back, Uncle!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It… It worked! I can’t believe it! It worked!” Pewter laughed incredulously. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He groaned softly. “H-Huh?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“This… this is amazing! I… wow. I never thought anything like this was possible.” Pewter shook his head, grinning from ear to ear. “So tell me, Date: how does it feel to be a clone?”</span>
</p>
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